‘For smooth travel we are also keen to start night flying operations at Srinagar Airport’: Top Govt official
Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Srinagar, Mar 04 : Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha led government Thursday sad that there could be huge crowd of investors in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir after April this year.
“Due to Covid Pandemic the investors could not visit Kashmir valley, but now when the situation is getting better, we are expecting huge crowd (of investors) after April,” a top government official said, adding that the government has been completing all requisite formalities for the purpose of investments by the end of the current year.
The official said that thought the global investor’s summit came to a sudden halt due to COVID-19 pandemic; the government has been making fresh progress to attract global investment into several sectors in the union territory.
Sources said that above 41 companies have shown interest in investing over Rs 15,000 crore in the region in the form of 61 Expression of Interest (EOIs). “Some of the sectors that these companies intend to invest in include, information technology, infrastructure, renewable energy, manufacturing, hospitality, defence, skills education and tourism,” sources maintained.
Sources said that that the divisional commissioner of Jammu, as well as divisional commissioner of Kashmir, has identified the government land at various places in Jammu and Kashmir respectively which are being visited by the probable Investors.
The government officials said that they are also confident that private players will also come in the healthcare sector in Jammu and Kashmir.
“All efforts would be made to bring the big players in the healthcare sector also in the Union Territory,” the officials said, adding investors from across the globe are eyeing Jammu and Kashmir as their preferred investment destination.
It is to be mentioning here that to revive the business sector and boost investor confidence with a business-friendly environment, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has already approved a series of measures for simplifying business establishment process.
As per the decision taken by the Administrative Council (AC), the pre-requisite ‘no objection certificates’ (NoCs) or approvals have been relaxed for setting up of a business unit.
The Udyog Aadhaar memorandum as per the condition of the Government of India would be the only requirement for a business unit to be set up.
Earlier, as many as 15 NoCs or clearances were required for a business unit to be established, which have now been reduced to a bare minimum.
These bare minimum NoCs/approvals shall be required subsequently, for which two sets of single-window committees have been established one for business units coming up within industrial estates and another committee for units outside the industrial estates.
Work on the installment of Instrument Landing System (ILS) CAT II at the Srinagar International Airport is set to begin with Divisional Commissioner Kashmir convening a meeting tomorrow with concerned authorities to make it operational by April this year.
Meanwhile sources said that to facilitate the visit of top investors, the government wants night landing at Srinagar International Airport and for that Instrument Landing System (ILS) CAT II at the Srinagar International Airport is likely to be made operational by April this year.
“It will allow operation of flights at a minimum visibility of 350-metre,” the official said.
Recently the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Pandurang K. Pole convened a meeting with concerned authorities and PMGSY contractors over installation of Instrument Landing System (ILS) CAT II at the Srinagar International Airport.
The project has been undertaken under the IAF’s “Modernization of Airport Facilities and Infrastructure (MAFI)” scheme.
In August last year, an IAF representative in the Airport Advisory Committee had informed the members that “at present ILS CAT I landing system is operational at the airport, while the work on CAT II will begin in November 2021.”
Members had laid stress on “need of an improved landing system at the Srinagar Airport”.
The official said the upgradation of ILS will ensure that flight operations are undertaken in less visibility especially foggy conditions.
“Currently the minimum visibility required for operation of flights at the Airport is 1300-meter but ILS CAT II will drastically reduce the required visibility,” the official said.
Srinagar airport is under direct operational control of the Indian Air Force (IAF), which controls its air traffic and landing strip and also the facilities of fire-fighting and crash activities, apart from the airspace. The terminal building, where the passengers check-in and check-out, and the apron area, where an aircraft is parked are controlled by the AAI.
The airport witnesses operations of 25-30 commercial flights every day. (KINS)
